August - September : Howker

Here is my update for the last month and whats happening this month.

My submission for OWTcreative's issue no.9 "Chance"

it's based on bad luck superstitions people believe in.. I'm all for believing in good luck but I find it difficult to see how any of these could cause your luck to change...

Im not overly happy with the salt shaker.. but its the better one of the 20 different versions I had drawn

Music

I was asked to submit a design based on a music track for use in an upcoming project... I'm happy to say that my preferred design was chosen and I successfully completed it today. As the website isn't 100% up and running yet, I'm keepin details and the main thing on the down-lo.. but here are a few sneaky shots I managed to take..



as soon as official details and the site is up and running then I will probably tweet the hell out of it





Glass is a very difficult surface to draw/paint on.. especially at a large scale and reversed! (I had to paint on the inside of the room rather than the outside so that it wasnt scratched easily etc etc.. ) Overall I'm more than happy with how it turned out but there are a load of little details that are niggling at me about it.. from my sketch, the design has altered a fair bit but I dont think I could've done any different in the same amount of time.



MASI

Manchester and Salford illustrated is a great exhibition idea that is happening this month.. but I'm some what daunted by the professional talent that is already submitting work for it.. I cant help but feel as if my stuff will look 'student'-like next to theirs.. anyway.. I've already shown this to a few people.. but this is my current work.. which I intend to finish in pencil and screenprint with 2 colours.. 1 being a light sky blue (Man City style) and the 2nd either black or a dark blue...

AND before anyone else says it.. (Mark keeps taking the piss out of me)... THERE WILL BE A GUITAR ADDED INTO NOEL'S HANDS!!!! hahahah





I keep thinking that Noel looks like an "accurate" caricature.. but Liam doesnt have the same "feel"... maybe because he doesnt have eyes... ?

Current Workspace

The next project I have started is the Creature brief for Peculiarbliss magazine. The creature I am illustrating is a goblin sat on a toadstool smoking a cig, having a break from work. Above is the sketch for the goblin.

 

Started adding the detail.

Workspace at the moment. 

Finished Butterfly Image

This is the final and finished version of the butterfly. I spend ages trying out different backgrounds but none of them were working. They over shadowed the butterfly. Afterwards I finally found a background that worked. 

Ste's Work In Progress

This is my finished watercolour butterfly. Seen as I haven’t painted for mouths, I think it’s turned out really well. Next thing to do is put into Photoshop. Below is a more zoomed in image, showing the detail on the butterfly's body

updates...

some shots of work that went on today

my own piece for OWT Creatives issue no.9 'Chance' brief... I like the idea of good luck and having lucky objects/symbols/signs but I find bad luck symbols a little silly for some reason... so i decided to create a piece that featured these superstitions...



and in his own words... some of Mark's doodles..



i hope he gets chance to post some sneak peeks of his current commission, but I think that needs to stay hush hush for now.. until then you'll have to make do with his sordid imagination

Also.. with summer being pretty much over now (cept for a few days of sun).. Winter will test our spirit I think as it may get rather cold. OWT are planning on a winter window solution.. and i think we may need some curtains soon also..

More Dr Sketchys

Molly Crabapple's Website

Dr Sketchys

Here is a couple of sketches that I did do.

During university I got in touch with a few practising artists

for interviews as part of my research.

(Interview here)

Molly Crabapple was one of those fine people who got back to me

which was really humbling.

She is the inventor of Dr Sketchys which is now a world-wide event,

for us doodler's that require something a little more exciting for us to draw.

(Please check the link above to see if there is a session near you)

When you are in the first and second year you really are not sure

about actually getting anywhere in the industry, so to have a response

to your fumbling questions is really confidence inspiring.

August sketches

Ste has finished 1 of his butterflies... James is making his way through his digital collages... Mark is busy out of the studio working and drawing... Dan is taking some R&R... and I'm sketching a hell of a lot before running away with making final images...

My Kozik vinyl toy is as big as our kettle...

Sketches...

the 3 projects I'm working on at this moment in time.. (i also have about 3 others I need to do too!)




Poster...

I see a lot of artists I like drawing over photos, magazines and posters.. so I thought I'd give it a go and let my imagination run free and not worry about metaphors etc etc etc..

from the original poster I've basically added phantom/ghost hands doing what I'd imagine ghosts would do on any normal day



Close ups...